Plasmodium falciparum infection during pregnancy in an unstable transmission area in eastern Sudan

Abstract

A 1 -year prospective community-based study of malaria during pregnancy was conducted in an area of seasonal and unstable malaria transmission in eastern Sudan. At a village antenatal clinic, 89 non-pregnant controls and 86 pregnant women were enrolled and followed every 2 weeks until 6 weeks after delivery. The incidence of Plasmodium falciparum infection was significantly higher among pregnant than control women (17.4% versus 5.6%) with no difference between primigravidae and multigravidae (22.2% versus 15.2%).There was no significant difference in the mean haemoglobin concentration between infected and uninfected mothers (9.1 ± 1.3 versus 9.5 ± 0.6 g/dL) but the mean birth weight of their babies was significantly lower (2.72 ± 0.26 versus 2.95 ± 0.05 kg) despite prompt case management of infected women.